Hidden in Plain Sight
by imaginegirl99
Summary: As the daughter of the Minister of Magic, River Song has always been pursued. Control the daughter, control the Ministry. When her parents decide to send her to Hogwarts under a pseudonym, she learns to the keep the secret. Her sixth year, everything changes. Her friendships blossom and romances begin to form, but her secret still divides her from those she cares about.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is my first fanfiction, fyi! This story is set in the Wizarding World, but the characters are mainly from Doctor Who. River is pretty OOC; she's more how I imagined her if she had grown up properly with Amy and Rory as parents. I tried to keep the others mostly in character. This story wasn't originally written as DW/HP, so when I changed it, I tried to fit the characters I had into those from DW. Also, I'm American, so I'm sorry if some of the terms don't quite fit those from England, etc. Please enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Ever since River Song had been little, her parents had kept her away from the outside world. Magic, they had said, was at the heart of every witch and wizard, yet as the daughter of the Minister of Magic, it was crucial that her face was not to be known throughout the country, for those with uncontrollable magic would attempt to harm her. She must be protected. With those words, River's parents sent her to Hogwarts when she was eleven years old, yet they entered her under a different name, with only the headmaster and deputy headmaster knowing her true self. River would become the invented sister of Amy Pond, her lady's maid, who had been sorted into the Gryffindor the previous year. Yet River would face major trials and tribulations as she grew older, with her wonky sense of style and uncontrollable hair. Soon, her life would change… for the better or for the worse… only time would tell.

Melody Pond rushed from the Slytherin Common Room, "Bollocks!" she cursed under her breath, frantically checking to make sure she had all her things. She was already going to be late to class… it would be torture if she forgot something!

"Damn!" she cursed as she ran into a person, falling, her books tumbling out of her bag as she did so. She glanced up to see her best friend, James McCrimmon, grinning down at her.

"How's everything down there?" he asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"Oh, Doctor, shut up and help me. I'm already late for class on the first day of term. Professor Sinistra is gonna kill me. Already hating Astronomy."

"Oh! Don't say that! Astronomy's brilliant. Come on, up you come, why don't I come with you and come up with an excuse so Professor Sinistra doesn't count you tardy?"

Melody snorted, "Fat lot of good that'll do," but took his hand regardless, shoved all her books into her bag, and clung to his hand.

"Allons-y, Melody Pond!"

James McCrimmon, termed the Doctor due to his insane knowledge of medical mumbo-jumbo, was an enigma, that was for sure. Slytherin. Constantly went against the school dress code by wearing a ridiculous brown pinstriped suit, Chuck Taylors, and a tan trench coat, but the professors had given up reprimanding him years ago. One of the few people who knew who she was, except she didn't tell him, he had guessed. Melody never truly understood why the unusually tall and gangly second year had come up to her in her first year and offered to help her in any way that he could, in the most appropriate ways. She recognized him from his lack of friends in the Slytherin Common Room, and his really great hair, which hadn't changed a bit in the five years she had known him. Thankfully, she had never considered him more than a friend, especially since he was head-over-heels in love with a Gryffindor in his year, Rose Tyler, whom Melody had met three years ago and thought was fantastic for her best friend. However, regardless of his relationship with Rose, he still found time to hang out a bunch with her, and Melody could not be more appreciative, especially since she had only a few friends, who were mostly not from her own house.

She was drawn from her thoughts by the Doctor clearing his throat, "Here we are, Pond. Tell Sinistra that you were hanging out with me and lost track of the time. She knows we're best friends and she'll excuse you."

She gave him a quick hug, "Thanks, Doctor. You know I hate being late… especially on the first day of term!"

He gave her a wry smile, "Take care, Pond. See you soon."

"Wait, Doctor, you never said… why aren't you in class?" Melody spoke up just as the Doctor began to back away.

"Oh, you know me… can't stand Divination," after a pause he added on, "And Reinette is in the class. She can't seem to get it into her head that I love Rose."

Melody laughed and waved, "See ya, Doctor!"

He smirked at her before dashing down the hall to Merlin knows where, and Melody, resigned to her fate, hoisted her bag further onto her shoulder and pushed open the door to the Astronomy classroom.

Professor Sinistra was standing at the front of the class, clearly just starting a lecture, "Ah, Miss Pond, I see you have decided to join us."

"I'm sorry, ma'am," she stated, "I got caught up talking to the Doctor. I would say it won't happen again, but you know him!"

Thank Merlin for her excellent ability to lie. It was definitely one of the reasons she was sorted into Slytherin.

Professor Sinistra smiled and gestured for her to find a seat, "No harm done, Miss Pond, but do try to time your talks with the Doctor a wee bit better."

She smirked and made her way to the nearest table, where (thankfully!) some people were sitting that she knew.

John glanced at her, "I have a feeling that wasn't the full story."

John Smith. Sixth Year Slytherin, Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team. Keeper. Where Melody initially met him, as she became the Slytherin Seeker. One of the Doctor's friends, and so by association, one of hers. Had a propensity for wearing a Slytherin bowtie instead of a regular tie. Sometimes acted so much like the Doctor that Melody had to remind herself that they weren't related. He was one of the only people that she couldn't lie to very well, and he almost always knew when she was lying. She celebrated the fact that he had not uncovered her biggest secret. Yet.

"Not quite," she rolled her eyes, "You knew how much I hate running late, and I was running late on the first day of term! Then, I literally ran into the Doctor, who is playing hooky, by the way, and we worked our way up here. He came up with the excuse."

John nodded as Tony Tyler looked slightly shocked, "Wait, you were running late? You never run late."

Tony Tyler. Sixth Year Hufflepuff. One of the more Slytherin Hufflepuffs, if that was possible. She met him on the train in First Year, and they had been friends ever since. Brother of Rose Tyler, the Doctor's girlfriend. Nickname: Puff.

"It obviously happens sometimes, Puff. I mean, running late happens to everyone."

He scowled at the nickname, "Shut up, Pond. I hate that nickname."

Melody smirked, "Better pay attention, Puff. Sinistra's lecturing."

The rest of Astronomy passed by mostly in a blur, and at the end of class, Melody escaped to see the Doctor and Rose waiting patiently by the door.

Melody grinned, "Hey Rose, hey Doctor. What's up?"

Rose smiled, "You have Ancient Runes next, yeah?" When Melody checked her schedule and nodded in the affirmative, Rose continued, "So do I. The Doctor just wanted to walk us there, us important girls in his life."

Melody laughed, "Oh, Doctor. But yeah, that sounds brilliant. Fantastic, even," she glanced over her shoulder, "Coming along, Smith?"

John rolled his eyes, but responded in the affirmative, "Defense is over in that general area… Isn't that where you're heading, Doctor?"

The Doctor nodded, "Yup! Now come on! We'd better get moving! Allons-y!"

Melody rolled her eyes at her best friend's enthusiasm and watched as he grabbed Rose's hand. She trailed behind the two lovebirds, her hands in her robe pockets, John by her side.

She nudged him, "Oi, cheer up, Smith! Why're you so down?"

He glanced at her before looking back at the couple, "I think I want something like that. You know what I mean. They just… care so much about each other and I really want to experience that."

Melody smirked, "Don't worry Smith, it'll happen. I'm sure of it. Are there any girls that you like?"

John looked at her, his brow furrowed, "Er… Well there is this one girl…"

"Go on!" Melody urged him, wanting to hear more about her friend's love interest.

"Er… she is actually in our year. She is sassy and has a simply fantastic personality, one that I truly adore, and she is smart. She is wonderful," After his statement, he fell into silence, and Melody, wanting to hear even more about the mystery girl, persisted.

"What House is she in?"

"Er… can't tell you that, I'm afraid."

"Well, ya know what, Smith? I think you should go find her and ask her out! I mean, she sounds fantastic!"

John looked at the floor, "'S not that easy, Pond. But you never know," he paused as he looked up, "We're here."

Melody grimaced, "I never realized how long that walk was until I had to do it just now," she glanced at the Doctor and Rose, who were waiting patiently for her, "Well, thanks, Smith. See ya around."

She waltzed up to the Doctor and Rose and tapped on the Doctor's shoulder, "Thanks Doctor, but we are here and safe now. We'll see you later."

She turned and walked into class as the Doctor quickly pecked Rose on the lips. She heard Rose join her a moment later.

"Wanna find somewhere to sit?" Rose asked her with a raised brow, glancing around the classroom.

Melody nodded before scoping out someone they both knew, "There's Heriot. Let's go sit by her."

Rose answered in the affirmative and the girls made their way over to Zoe Heriot.

Zoe Heriot, Seventh Year Gryffindor. One of Amy and Rose's friends, and so Melody knew her, albeit not very well.

"Hey, Heriot. Can we sit?" Melody asked, sliding into one of the open seats.

"No," she responded sarcastically, "You can stay here but you'll have to stand. Rose can sit, though."

Melody rolled her eyes and chuckled, but before she could get another word in, Professor Babbling began class.

Once class was over, Melody was desperate to get outside. It was lunch, anyway, so she bolted from Runes to outside, where she sat on a rock overlooking the historical Hagrid's Hut. The legendary half-giant had died over twenty years ago, and his hut was still preserved. She shivered and drew her cloak closer to her. Winter was coming. Nasty.

"Bit chilly, don'tcha think?" a voice came from behind her, and Melody whipped around, pulling out her wand.

"Goodness! Don't murder your best friend… you might miss him. So would Rose. And he would miss her," the Doctor commented, maneuvering around her wand.

"Doctor, you know not to do that," she reprimanded him, stowing her wand as he sat down next to her on the rock.

"It's fun to watch your reaction," he admitted, "You weren't at lunch, so I figured you might want some company out here."

Melody sighed and rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder. "Smith said something earlier about some stuff, and for some reason it's just made me think."

The Doctor chuckled, "If it's anything about his mysterious love interest, I know who it is."

"What?" Melody exclaimed, sitting up, "Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"

The Doctor shook his head, "No can do. One, I guessed. Brilliant, me… remember? Besides, Doctor-patient confidentiality. He confided in me after I guessed."

Melody rolled her eyes at his pun, "Come on, Doctor. He told me that I knew her… Well, he told me that she was in my year. Do I know her?"

The Doctor smirked, "I would say you know her pretty well. And that's all you're getting from me! Come on, Song, time to get back to class."

He grabbed her hand, pulled her from the rock, and began to run back to the castle, where they split and went their separate ways upon entering: the Doctor to Charms, and Melody to Transfiguration.

By the time Transfiguration was over, Melody was exhausted and ready for dinner. When she arrived to the Great Hall, she made a beeline for her group of friends. The Great Hall had changed in the fifty years since the War in that there were no more House Tables except for the opening feast and the House Point Ceremony, as well as any other formalish events. For the past several years, she had sat exclusively with the Doctor, Rose, John, Puff, and her "sister", Amy, but now their group had expanded quite a bit. Two years ago, Melody met a few Ravenclaws in her year and they became very close, and thus Dorothy "Ace" McShane and Barbara Wright joined. Halfway through last year, Barbara started dating Ian Chesterton, another Ravenclaw in their year. He joined the table. The couple Ben and Polly, both Hufflepuffs, joined second term last year, and she met Maia through Ace and Barbara. It was definitely an odd grouping of people, with all four houses, but Melody thought it was nice to have people she could consider good friends from other houses.

Melody tucked into her dinner with gusto, hardly acknowledging any of the conversations going on around her. There was only one she truly cared about, "So Smith, when are Quidditch tryouts?"

He was sitting right next to her, and through all of the chatter, Melody could hardly hear him answer, "Probably next week. But between you and me, most of the team will probably be the same. We only need new Beaters since last year..."

Melody grinned, "Hopefully they'll will be loads better than Wilson and Potts. Merlin, they were horrible and they both had foul tempers."

John grimaced, "Yeah, I'm gonna try for better ones this year. Er… could you… er… come and help with… you know?"

Melody smirked, "Could I come and help you with the decision of who should be right for the team? Yes, I would love to."

John smiled a bit before turning his attention back to his food. Melody looked up and caught Amy's eye. _What?_ she mouthed.

 _Nothing!_ Amy responded. Melody rolled her eyes and stood, "Well, see ya all later! Gotta go do my rounds."

She bounded out of the Great Hall and up to the old classroom, termed the "Prefect Room" where Liz Shaw, the Ravenclaw Head Girl, kept the round schedules. She glanced at her spot and was shocked to see Rory Williams name down next to her own.

Rory Williams, Gryffindor Head Boy. Has had a thing for Amy for a while, and while he has never asked her out, it's pretty adorable. Melody didn't know him that well, but Ames said he was decent… so he had to be okay.

She heard his steps coming into the room behind her, and she whipped around, pulling her wand out, yet keeping it to her side. Rory smiled at her and gestured past him into the dark hall, "Shall we?"

Melody smirked and strode past him, " _Lumos!_ " she muttered, her wand lighting up.

She heard Rory do the same, and they began to walk side by side in silence. After walking by countless suits of armour, Rory spoke, "Er… Mels, I was wondering… Would you mind at all if I dated your sister?"

Ah. Straight to the point. Well, at least he got it out.

"Williams, why are you asking me? Why does my opinion matter? I mean, I'm flattered and all…"

"Well, you are just so… I don't know. I just feel like I need to get your permission for some reason."

Melody chuckled, "Well, consider it given. I think you two would be adorable together."

Rory smiled, "Thank you, Mels! You are fantastic!"

"I know I am, Williams."

The rest of patrol continued without any incidents, and the two separated at the Great Hall. By this time, Melody supposed it was at least eleven, which was when the patrol was supposed to end. She said her goodbyes to Rory and headed in the direction of the Slytherin Common Room. As she passed the "Prefect Room", she heard the Doctor's voice coming from it.

"At last, she comes! I thought you'd never be around. I thought I would have to head back to the Common Room all by myself."

Melody sighed dramatically, "Ya know, Doctor, you don't have to wait for me. I know you hate sleeping, but still, this tradition can break whenever you want it to."

"Our tradition will break as soon as I leave this school," the Doctor replied.

Melody tried to hide her grin as the Doctor grabbed her hand, "Run!"

They sprinted down the stairs, before the stairs decided to change their positions, and made it to the dungeons in record time. Melody was laughing by the time they had reached them and the Doctor was grinning maniacally.

" _Nox,_ " Melody muttered, and her light ebbed. The Doctor did the same, and with a glance at Melody, he spoke to the tapestry they were now standing in front of, "Divide et impera."

The tapestry shimmered and faded, a glowing arch taking its place leading to the Slytherin Common Room. The Doctor gestured for Melody to take the lead, and Melody did so, making her way into the gloomy darkness. At the stairs, Melody waved at the Doctor.

"See ya tomorrow!" she whispered, before turning to ascend the spiral staircase. She heard the Doctor whisper the same before descending the same staircase. She watched his spiky hair disappear before beginning her ascent.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _Darkness. That was all there was. Then there was a pop and she could suddenly hear screams. She frowned. She knew that scream- it was one voice… who was it? Whose scream would she even know? She pivoted blindly in place, attempting to see anything, anyone. Nothing. She couldn't even pinpoint the sound. Someone was in trouble. Someone was hurting. She had to help-_

Melody woke with a start, jerking upright. She scrambled to grab her dream journal but the image was already slipping away. She managed to jot down a few words with her Everlasting Ink Quill on the parchment, "Darkness, a scream…" she mumbled as she wrote.

"What about?" one of her fellow sixth years asked as she entered the dorm.

Tegan Jovanka. Sixth Year Slytherin female heartthrob yet genuine (seemingly) enough that Melody found a somewhat decent friend in her. Chaser on the Slytherin Quidditch team. Smart.

"Oh, just a dream I had," Melody replied nonchalantly, waving her hand, "Not a big deal."

"No, but it sounded like a big deal… ya mentioned screams?"

"Bugger off, Jovanka."

"Alright, alright, I'm going. I was just gonna tell you that your friend is waiting outside."

"The Doctor," Tegan opened her mouth, probably to agree, but Melody pushed on, "Tell him to go find Rose and leave me alone. I wanna go back to sleep."

She saw Tegan give a small smile at the last statement, and she left, hopefully to tell the Doctor to go away.

She crawled under her duvet and pulled it over her head, so she didn't hear when the door opened again. However, she did feel when the bed dipped when someone sat on it. She groaned.

"Doctor go away."

The figure didn't move, yet she didn't appear from under the duvet, "I said 'Go away!'"

After waiting a half a minute, she repeated her sentiments, and finally the figure spoke, revealing the person to be not who she was expecting.

"I'm afraid I can't go away because you told the Doctor to go away, and I am not the Doctor, although I was told by him to get you up. So up you come."

The unexpected voice was enough to get Melody to poke her head out, "Smith," she growled, "What the _hell_ are you doing in here?"

His eyebrows raised, "Language," he chided, "And to answer you, I was almost certain that there were wards or something to keep the guys out, but obviously not, because here I am. And the Doctor sent me to come get you, probably because he was afraid of wards and your wrath."

Melody scoffed, "Coward. Fine, then. Get out. Looks like you blokes aren't gonna let me get out of class today, so get out so I can get dressed."

By the time Melody emerged from the girls' dormitory, the Doctor had assembled a small Muggle contraption and enchanted it to fly around John's head. John was shooting spells at it with his wand and barely glanced up when Melody arrived. However, the Doctor jumped up when he saw her and rushed forward to grab her hand, "Come on, Lazy Bones! I will never understand why girls take ages to get ready in the morning. Rose is waiting downstairs! Allons-y!"

Melody rolled her eyes before following him out the door, John tagging behind. By the time they made it to the Great Hall, breakfast had already started, and their usual group had already gathered from the various houses. Melody skipped over to their spot and took her seat next to Amy, John quickly claiming the seat next to her. The Doctor pouted but got over it quickly before taking the seat across from her, taking Rose's hand in the process.

As the time rolled around for class to begin, Melody abruptly stood up from the table, "Well, friends, it has been a blast. Off to Charms! Ta-ta!"

John scrambled to his feet, "Whoa, hold on. A couple of us have Charms now. You could wait and all of us could go together."

Melody heaved a large dramatic sigh but sat down once more and leaned her head on her hands, "Oh, the things I do for you people. You guys better hurry up."

Clara Oswald piped up and nodded toward Lynda Moss, "We both have Charms as well. We can come. I'm all ready. Are you, Lynda Moss?"

Lynda Moss smiled, "Oh, yes."

Clara Oswald, sixth year Slytherin. Melody had almost considered her too nice to be a Slytherin, until she saw her defend a small second year with a fierce expression and her wand aglow. That was when she knew to never underestimate Clara Oswald.

Lynda Moss, sixth year Hufflepuff. The epitome of sweet, yet Melody knew that she was depressed. Lynda Moss tried to help everyone, even when she didn't want to or didn't feel like it, just because it was the right thing to do. Also, Lynda Moss was incredibly fun to say, so Melody would always call her by her full name and only that.

Melody smiled, "Of course. How could I leave without you two? Ben, are you coming?"

Ben nodded and gave her a thumbs up before leaning to hug Polly goodbye. She stood up once more, grabbed her bag and offered an arm to each Clara and Lynda, "Shall we?"

Checking to make sure that John and Ben were following (and they were), Melody led her friends to Charms _Wizard of Oz_ style (her parents had been sure to educate her on all the Muggle classics, and then she had educated her friends).

By the time the friends made it to class, they had long since collapsed into laughter, and Melody was severely laughing onto Lynda's shoulder, so much so that the slightly smaller girl was falling over, so John pulled Melody off Lynda and onto his shoulder. Clara looked at him superiorly, like she knew something he didn't know, and he scowled at her, and Melody continued to laugh. Eventually, Melody straightened and she patted him on the back, "Thanks, dude," she tried to say with an American accent (it sounded really bad), "Lynda would've fallen over."

"That was clearly my intention," John covered.

"Anyway," Ben intervened, "Class?"

Melody nodded, "Yep! Sounds awesome! Allons-y!"

John groaned, "Aw, come on, I hear enough of that as it is-"

Melody rolled her eyes but gestured for everyone to follow her into class. Professor Richardson was already talking to a few students about what to expect that upcoming year in Charms.

"Hey, Richie!" Melody waved in greeting.

Richie turned and smiled, "Mels, Lynda, Clara, Ben! It's wonderful to see you!"

"I'm standing here, too," John interjected loudly.

Richie ignored him, as per usual, "Well, go ahead and find somewhere to sit!"

Melody made her way to the second seat in a row off the center aisle. Lynda sat in front of her, Clara beside Lynda, John beside her, and Ben was all alone in a row behind them. Just then, they heard a familiar voice, "Hey guys!"

Melody whipped around and stood, "Sarah Jane! I had no idea you were in this class!" She gave her a hug.

Sarah Jane Smith. Sixth year, Gryffindor. Beater for Gryffindor Quidditch team, and known for hitting a Bludger at Melody in third year, and then apologizing profusely after the game. John's cousin. She really should be a Hufflepuff.

Melody sat once more and pushed John out of his seat next to her, "Go sit by Ben," she patted the now empty seat beside her, "Here ya go, Sarah Jane."

Sarah Jane sat down and smiled, "Thanks, love."

John huffed and tugged on her braid from behind, "Why do I have to sit with a bloody Hufflepuff?"

Ben rolled his eyes, "I'm not that bad, John. I think you'll find that I am very entertaining to be by."

John groaned, "Jackson, I know. I just didn't want to sit this far back in this class. This is the best one, after all."

Ben glanced between Melody and John, "Ah, I understand. It is perfectly understandable that you would want to sit by the object of your affection."

John glared at him, "Shut up, Jackson, or I'll curse you."

This conversation went on during a completely different one with the girls:

"So, Clara, you _are_ trying out for the team again this year, yes?" Melody inquired, arching a brow.

Clara leaned back against her chair, "Well, duh. Quidditch is like, the best thing ever."

Lynda pursed her lips, "I will never understand your fascination with that game. It is dangerous and silly. Regardless, I find myself attending every one, Slytherin and Gryffindor, because my friends are on those teams."

Slytherin and Gryffindor. Never Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw. Lynda Moss had a very hard time making friends, and this led to a her being alone in her House quite often. Melody and Clara were always quick to assure her that the number didn't matter, it was how much they mattered.

Sarah Jane smiled, "Lynda Moss, you are so sweet. But I believe class is getting ready to start. Richie looks impatient."

Melody peeked at Richie to see her looking at the six of them. Melody smiled innocently and shrugged before placing her full attention on the professor.

By the time Charms had ended, Melody reluctantly stood, "Well, see you guys later. Off to History of Magic. Yuck."

Clara stood, "It could be worse. Binns could still be teaching. Remember the stories about him? At least Green is a wee bit interesting."

Melody acquiesced, "I guess. Still. I hate history. See you guys later. Come on, Clara. Class with the Ravenclaws. Always the best."

As the group split up, Clara began speaking to Melody, "So, I know this guy who really wants to ask you out, but I'm pretty sure he's too scared to."

Melody laughed, "What does he have to fear? Do I even know the guy?"

"Okay, number one, yes, you do know him, and pretty well I'd say. And number two, you just laughed at the thought of someone asking you out. If I hadn't warned you and he had just come up to you and asked you out, yes or no, would you have laughed on instinct?"

Melody immediately felt horrible, "Well… yeah, but it wouldn't be at him. But he wouldn't know that, and then he would think he was being rejected before I would even have had a chance to consider the offer. Oh, I feel awful."

Clara put a hand on her shoulder, "Just think about that before you open your mouth."

Melody only nodded. By this point in time, they had now reached the History of Magic classroom, where Professor Green was standing outside of the classroom.

"Hey, Pond, Oswald. Go on in."

Melody really liked Professor Green as a person, yet her accent annoyed the hell out of her. Green was from Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and thus, she had a very American accent. It hurt Melody's eardrums.

When Melody and Clara entered, the room was an asylum. Tegan was sitting in one corner twirling her wand and talking to Barbara Wright, and Ian sat nearby, shooting nonverbal spells at a small plant which Melody was almost certain had not been pink and blue polka-dotted before. Ace was sitting on the other side of the room talking to Donna Noble, and this is where Melody led Clara to.

"Hi, Ace, Donna. How are you?" Melody asked.

Donna smiled, "Great! How are you, Mels?"

"I'm alright."

Ace smirked, "You're always 'alright'. Why don't you tell us how you really feel?"

Melody shrugged, "No, I mean… I really am alright. Clara was just giving me relationship advice."

Ace looked confused, "What are you seeing someone? I thought you weren't seeing anyone. When did that change?"

Melody shook her head, "That hasn't changed. Clara was just telling me about how not to react _if_ someone were to ask me out."

Donna raised a brow and looked at Clara, "Is this what I think it's about?" Clara nodded, "Oh my gosh, I hope he does ask you out, Mels! You would be so cute together!"

Ace looked just as confused as Melody felt, "Who?"

Donna turned to her and whispered in her ear and Ace's eyes grew wide, "What? No way! _What_!? Uh-uh! Shut up! Oh, you guys will be _so_ adorable!"

"Does everyone know who this person is except for me?" Melody complained.

Clara nodded, "Yep!"

"Honestly, you are blind not to see it," Donna added, "You too are just so perfect together- it's ridiculous."

Melody began to count people off on her fingers, "Assuming you all are speaking of the same person, now you three and the Doctor are all convinced of it. And of course, if the Doctor knows, then Rose probably knows, and if Rose knows, there is a chance that Ames knows, and- arg! You people are ridiculous!"

Clara crossed her arms, "And you will not figure it out because your dear little mind will not go down that path by itself."

"Oswald…" Melody growled.

"Melody…" she taunted. "Guys, class is about ready to start!" Donna exclaimed from a seated position, "Green looks ready to jump into things."

Without further ado, Green began to jump into a detailed description of the Goblin Wars, and Melody found herself doodling on her parchment instead of taking notes.

 _You do know that you should be worrying about him, right? He could always ask someone else out._

 **Shut up, Ace. I'm trying to concentrate.**

Damn this charmed note parchment. Ace had given it to her as a gift and Melody hadn't realized she had pulled it out instead of normal parchment. She leaned over and began to dig through her bag for a different piece of parchment. When she sat back up with another piece of parchment she saw Ace's next message: _No, but seriously, he could! Though, he wouldn't be able to stay with that person for long. I swear… he's head over heels for you._

 **Ace- PLEASE- either tell me who it is or leave me alone. I really need to take notes.**

 _Uh-uh. Not how this works. How 'bout you guess?_

 **Fine.**

 **I hate you.**

 _Love you, too. Yes or no questions only._

 **Is he in our year?**

 _Yes._

 **What house?**

 _Naughty-naughty._

 **Uh. Fine.**

 **Gryffindor.**

 _Nope._

 **Ravenclaw.**

 _Try again._

 **Well, it can't be Slytherin… so I guess Hufflepuff? But seriously… Hufflepuff? Who? Puff?**

 _No. Uh-uh. Sorry, you have been disqualified from_ _Guess that Boy!_

 **I'm done with this game. There is no one in Slytherin who could actually like me.**

 _Sure about that?_

 **Yes.**

 _You are in denial._

 **About what?**

 _And you claim to not know who he is._

 **I don't.**

 _Let's play another game, shall we? List that sixth year Slytherin boy._

 **I hate you.**

 _I know you do. Here we go. I name one, you name one. Kyle._

 **Steven.**

 _Harry._

 **Adric.**

 _Turlough._

 _Mels?_

 **John.**

 _Congratulations, Mels Pond, you have won_ _Guess that Boy!_ _Would you like a prize?_

 **You'd better be damn well kidding me.**

 _Language._

 **No, but John and I are just friends. There is nothing going on between us!**

 _Yet._

 _Shit. Green's coming._

And just like that their conversation was gone, and Ace's notes took their place. Melody was left staring at the notes in disdain. John? How? _Why?_ There had to be some mistake. But then again, everybody who was anybody knew about it. Someone bumped her on the shoulder, "What's up? Why are you looking so down?"

Martha Jones. Ravenclaw, sixth year. Chaser for the Quidditch team and prefect in line for Head Girl spot. She was incredibly sweet, once you got to know her, and took a while to get to know.

Melody shrugged, "I dunno. I was caught off guard by something."

Martha smiled, "Is it about John?"

Melody's eyes widened, "Do you know, too?"

She waved her hand, "Donna just caught me up to date- she said something about Ace got you to figure it out through some magic notes or something. Brilliant by the way. But, anyway. Just take your time. It'll work out, I promise."

She smiled and then went over to Donna and gathered her things. Green dismissed class, and Melody stood. As she exited the History of Magic classroom, she separated from her friends, "See you guys later."

She slowly made her way to Transfiguration, knowing it was unlikely any of her friends would be in that class. Thankfully, it would be a class where she could think in peace. However, when she arrived at the classroom in question two floors above, she found this was not the case.

"John! What the hell are you doing here?"

"My schedule changed halfway through Defense Against the Dark Arts today. Transfiguration and Astronomy switched. Isn't that lucky?"

Melody grimaced, "Yeah. Great," So much for time to think.

John wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Come on, be a bit more enthusiastic! You were gonna be all alone in here! And now ya got me!"

Melody managed a small smile, "Yeah, I guess I do," she nudged his shoulder, "All 150 pounds of ego."

"I do not weigh 150 pounds!" John cried.

Melody raised an eyebrow.

"I don't!"

"I'm kidding, Smith."

When the two entered, class was about to start, and Professor Davies was getting ready to speak. Melody grabbed a pair of desks towards the back of the room.

"Hey, Mels, I was wondering-"

"Shhh, class is starting!"

Best trick in the book.

Melody managed to keep John from talking about what he wanted to talk about the whole hour, and by the time she needed to get to Potions, her favourite class, she bolted from his side.

"Girl troubles?" A knowing voice came from behind John and he spun around before glaring at the Doctor.

"Shut up, McCrimmon. As if you would know- you live in the perfect world with Tyler. Instead of your luck I'm stuck with a girl who doesn't seem to realize that I'm head-over-heels in love with her, and she's just completely disregarding my feelings, whether she knows she is or not."

"John, trust me, girls are like that. She's probably just having a bad day. I'm sure she'll be better tomorrow, maybe not be as jumpy."

John shrugged, "Yeah, I guess. Still, I just don't want to be her friend anymore."

The Doctor put his hand on John's shoulder, "Then why don't you tell her that?"

In the dungeons, Melody was preparing to make the Polyjuice Potion. Sarah Jane glanced at her, "What's got your knickers in a twist? You look as if you swallowed a lemon."

Melody scowled at her potion and dropped some boomslang skin in, "It's nothing."

"Clearly nothing involves a lot nowadays," Sarah Jane said with a raised eyebrow, "Does it have something to do with…"

"Shut up! Just shut up! I don't wanna talk about it!" Melody yelled, shoving her potion off the table. It started to fall, but before it hit the ground, Sarah Jane caught the cauldron and placed it on the floor. Melody had a moment of thanking Merlin that she had the foresight to buy an anti-tipping cauldron before she burst into tears.

"Sweetie, what's wrong? Why is this bothering you so much?" Sarah Jane asked as she gave her a hug.

Melody hiccupped and spoke softly, "I just want everything to go back to when I knew that John and I were the best of friends and no stupid little crush was in his way. I just learned about it during History of Magic, and I don't want it to ruin our friendship."

"As far as I know, it's more than a 'stupid little crush'," Sarah Jane said before seeing Melody's glare and continuing, "Mels, relationships don't always ruin friendships. Lots of times they're strengthened because you are best friends with your significant other. Just answer one question one question honestly. Do you like him?"

Melody frowned and turned away from her. Sarah Jane tutted disapprovingly, "Melody. Answer me. And honestly."

Melody turned back to her friend. She knew she was trying to help, but that didn't make the truth hurt any less, "Yes," she whispered.

Sarah Jane's eyes widened and she let out a soft squeal, "Oh my Merlin! I never actually thought you would admit it! How long have you liked him?"

Melody buried her face in her hands, "Since third year. When he grew into his ears."

Sarah Jane smiled, "I remember that day. We were eating in the Great Hall and he came in with the Doctor, all tall and gangly, with no more big ears, and you turned bright red. I thought you turned bright red because it was your birthday and the Doctor and John were wearing fezzes and carrying a birthday fez for you. But it wasn't that, was it?"

Melody shook her still-buried head, "No, it wasn't," she groaned.

"Are you two girls going to chat the whole time, or are you going to finish your potions?" Came a voice from above.

Sarah Jane looked up, "We're sorry, Professor Moffat. I was helping Melody with some personal issues."

His eye twinkled, but he gestured for them to get up, "I won't take any points away, but personal conversations do belong outside of class. Do keep that in mind," With that, he walked away.

Melody slowly stood, "When you're glad that you are the top potions student and I'm glad that I'm in Slytherin."

Sarah Jane cocked her head, 'He does tend to play favourites, doesn't he?"

The girls laughed before finishing the portion of the potion they were supposed to do before leaving it to brew. Moffat dismissed the class, and the girls cheerfully made their ways to the Great Hall. Once they had made the trek from the dungeons, they made a beeline to their spot, where the Doctor and Rose were already sitting. Rose saw them first and gave a little wave, "Hello!" she called.

Melody grinned and responded in a similar manner, Sarah Jane doing the same. They waded through the sea of students to the table, and Melody slid in next to the Doctor with Sarah Jane across from them.

Sarah Jane was the first to break the news to the couple, "Mels now knows the news that we all have known and have guessed. I think Ace kind of forced it on her because she was tired of all the sexual tension. And guess what? she's liked him since third year."

Melody blushed and once more buried her head into her arms. Of course Sarah Jane would do this. She could just imagine the Doctor's grin.

She felt him nudge her side, "So… who's the lucky man?" She heard him ask, as if he didn't already know.

Melody tilted her head to the side and glared at the Doctor as Ace, Barbara, Donna, and Ian made their way to the table, "It's not like you don't know who it is. So shut the hell up, Doctor. Rose, can you get him to bugger off?"

Rose gave her a small smile, "You know how he is, Mels. Sorry. If anyone could get him to, it would be you or me, but I don't think either of us could on this. He just wants you two to get together."

Ace sat down, "Have you accepted it yet?"

Melody groaned, "Will you people leave me alone?"

Of course, it was inevitable that John would show up at that moment. He strode up to the table, dumped his stuff next to Melody and sat down.

Melody leaned her head on his shoulder. "Why is my life so complicated?"

John froze at the contact. Melody waited for him to respond, and he responded not like she expected.

"You could always make it less complicated if you do certain things, you know."

Melody jerked her head up and looked at him with her eyebrow raised, "How d'you mean?"

"Erm…" He looked away from her and started to dig through his bag. He finally pulled out a small blue notebook full of crumpled parchment. He handed it to her.

"I enchanted this book so no one would be able to read it unless they had my permission, but you should be able to. Erm… it's…. Well… This is a book… Well, it's kind of a journal of all the times and things that you've done to make me fall in love with you."

By this point, everyone was sitting at their spot, and everyone was making the "awww" noises, but Melody was just gaping at him.

He looked down at his hands, "Please say something."

She opened the book and read a couple of the entries that had been revealed to her, ignoring the Doctor's cry of, "I can't read anything!"

Melody looked back at John with tears in her eyes before placing the book on the table and hugging him. She could tell he was startled, but slowly, his arms started to wrap around her.

"Does this mean we're okay?" he asked softly.

Melody nodded into his chest. He leaned his cheek against the top of her head, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Melody paused for only a moment before nodding. She could hear the cheers of all her friends in the background and she hid in John's chest, her hair falling in her face.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A week later, Melody sat in the Quidditch stands, watching tryouts with interest. John was trying out the hopeful beaters one by one, and gradually, the weak ones were being rooted out. The one that was going now, Corbyn, she thought, was horrible. His aim was dreadful and he usually couldn't even hit the bludger half the time. Thankfully, John stopped Corbyn's trial before he got out of hand, and Corbyn trudged of the field glumly.

Next up was a third year whom Melody knew was named Hugh Jarvis. She watched as the skinny teen hoisted up the beater bat and prepared to embark on his trial. John blew the whistle and Jarvis took off. Melody watched with amazement as the skinny strip of nothing flew with remarkable skill, dodging the bludgers and hitting with precise aim whenever he needed to. She knew he would be an asset to their team. On his next hit, Jarvis hit the bludger on its edge and it ricocheted. Then everything went black.

Melody opened her eyes and tried to sit up, but firm hands pushed her back down on the mattress.

"Nuh- uh, stay down," a blur of messy brown hair came into view and it took Melody longer than she cared to admit to place the Doctor's voice, "You've got a major concussion. One of those idiot wanna-be beater's knocked you out with their 'fabulous' skills."

Melody groaned and blinked several times, attempting to get the fuzziness out of her vision. She felt the Doctor hand her a glass of something, "Here, this'll clear your head."

She fumbled for the glass, and he gently pressed the glass into her hand and guided it to her lips. She guzzled down whatever it was before gagging from the taste. But immediately after it went down, her senses cleared and she was able to see him. She peered around the Hospital Wing.

"How long've I been here?" she croaked.

"Three days."

"Three days! Oh shit! What about all my homework? There must be mountains of it!" she exclaimed.

The Doctor waved a hand, "Ah, you've got nothing to be worried about. John and I have been working on it for you. And turning it in, too," his lip twitched.

Melody saw red and slapped his hand as hard as she could without hurting herself, "James David McCrimmon! How dare you do that! You know that I-"

The Doctor burst out laughing, "Merlin, Pond! I was just joshing you! We would never soil your reputation by doing that to you. Wouldn't want to risk that temper, there."

Melody frowned and sat up, crossing her arms, "Where's John?"

"He and I've been taking shifts sitting with you, almost at the expense of our own classes, but then we realized you would hate us if we did that. So, he's in class. I've got a free period, so here I am! You're blessed with my presence!"

Melody rolled her eyes, "When'll his class be over?"

"Impatient to see the boyfriend, are we?" the Doctor teased.

"We've only been dating for a week. Well, a week and three days. So, yes. Considering almost a third of the time we've been dating I've been unconscious, yes, I would like to see him."

The Doctor smiled warmly, all hint of teasing gone, "I can relate. Really, I can. He should be done with class soon. He promised that he would be up as soon as he was done."

The two sat in silence for about ten minutes, the Doctor practicing some silent spells and Melody watching him, fascinated. Finally, Melody spoke, "Honestly, this reminds me of all those times when we were little and you'd wow me with the tricks you could do that I couldn't."

"Well, I'm so impressive," the Doctor wiggled his eyebrows.

"Never said you weren't," she giggled.

It was in that moment that John walked in, and Melody's eyes zeroed in on him, "John!"

He looked up from his feet in shock and then grinned, his teeth sparkling, "Mels!" He rushed over and embraced her carefully.

The Doctor stood and smiled, "Well, I'll leave you guys alone."

Melody waved, "Bye, Doctor. Thanks for your company!"

He grinned before waving and leaving the wing. Melody turned to John, "You've got to tell me everything that's happened in the past three days. I'm so out of it."

John laughed before filling her in on what had occurred in her absence. Melody was shocked to learn that Ben and Polly were on the outs, although John didn't know why.

"But they were so cute together!" she exclaimed, nearly drawing the attention of the ancient Madame Pomfrey.

John shushed her, "I know! I don't get it either. But anyhoo, they're on the outs…"

Finally, John got to the most interesting and important bit of news for her, "And, of course, the midget who knocked you out didn't make it on the team. The newest members are Oliver Baker and Ava Harris. Baker's a third year and Harris's a fifth year. I think you'll like them both."

Melody nodded, filing away the information, "I'm so excited for Quidditch to start! We are going to win for sure."

John nodded, "With the team we have this year, there is no way we won't."

They heard a voice at the end of the bed, "How do you feel, dearie?"

"My head hurts a bit, but I'm awake! Whatever the Doctor gave me helped," Melody told Madame Pomfrey.

The elderly woman bustled over to the side table and looked into her eyes. After a close inspection, she spoke, "I think you can go back to classes tomorrow, if you take everything carefully, dearie. No vigorous activity of any kind… running, etc.,": she looked sharply at John before continuing, "I know how jeopardy friendly you 'Friends of the Doctor' are."

Melody smiled and thanked her. She quickly moved off to go do the paperwork to spring her from the Hospital Wing the next day. Melody laughed and glanced at John, "Did you see how she looked at you right after she said vigorous activity? She thinks as soon as I'm out we're gonna go shag. As if. We haven't even properly snogged yet."

John blushed and turned his head. Melody punched his arm lightly, "I was only teasing. Don't be such a pansycake."

The next day, classes proceeded as normal, and Melody was ecstatic to be back to her normal routine. Her professors, aware of the loads of coursework ahead of her, tried to keep her daily work to a minimum as she made up all that she was behind on. By lunch, she made her way to the Great Hall, exhausted.

"I need a Time Turner," she groaned, "Even I can't keep up with all of this stuff."

John gave her a smile and a sideways hug, "You'll make it up. You always do. And you'll come out on top. You always do that, too. Upset that you didn't take us up on our offer to do it for you?"

Melody pulled away from him, "Never! That was a horrid thing to suggest, and I still would've had to learn the material, so it would've been a waste of time for you as well. Honestly, you two may be smart but you aren't practical."

The Doctor laughed at her from across the table, "Practical? Why should we be practical? That's no fun!"

"You just like getting into trouble. And you," she turned to John, "You just like to appease me. Which I love, I really do… except when it's for school."

"Trouble's just the bits in-between!" the Doctor crowed, "Maybe you should try it sometime. Is there anything daring you've ever done?"

She glanced at him and saw that he was only joking. He knew who she was. He knew it was a gamble every day that she kept up this charade. Every day that she kept this lie from her friends only increased the chance that they would hate her later.

"Yes," she finally answered, "Not anything that I can think of at the moment," _Liar, liar_ , "But I'm sure there must be something that I've done."

"Hey Mels," John said, "I have something daring that you could do."

"Hm?" she hummed, turning to him.

"Well, I know how you hate dances, so… do you think that it would be a bit daring if you went to the Yule Ball with me?" he asked quickly.

Melody beamed, "I'd love to." She grabbed his hand as Rose asked her about when she wanted to go shopping with her.

"Oh, I dunno know, Rose. do we really have to-"

"Yes! That's the best part of this whole thing!" Rose squealed.

"Hold on, hold on," the Doctor interjected, "Not the whole 'hanging-out-with-a-devastatingly-handsome-man part of it?"

Rose glared at him, "You, sir, have not asked me yet. Besides, who said we were shopping only for the ball? And who said I was going with you?"

The Doctor pouted, "I just haven't found the opportune moment to ask you yet."

"Better find an opportunity soon or your date might be taken," Rose winked at him before turning back to Melody.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A few weeks later, Melody and Rose still needed to find their dresses, which they planned to do during the Hogsmeade visit later that day. They had roped Amy and Donna into shopping with them. The girls met at the Entrance to the Great Hall and bounced some ideas off each other.

"We should stop at Gladrags first," Donna suggested, "They're usually good at keeping up with the season, and I know a couple of girls who have found dresses there."

Rose nodded, "And if that doesn't work out, there's that new shop that opened recently. We haven't been there yet. I think they specialize in formal attire."

Amy and Melody concurred, although Melody was still a bit reluctant. Rose caught her grimace, "Cheer up, Mels! Shopping therapy is the best kind of therapy. Besides you want to knock John's socks off."

Melody gave a little smile, "He is super adorable with his 'pleasantly surprised' look."

Donna scoffed, "'Pleasantly surprised?' Please. That man is sure to give you his best 'She is so hot and I love her to bits' face. Don't deny it. You know him the best, and even I know that he wouldn't give you 'pleasantly surprised'. His faces for you range from 'She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen' to 'Please, Merlin, let it be known that there is nothing I want on Earth more than to please the most perfect and lovely and wonderful person in my life, Melody Pond.'"

Rose burst out laughing at Donna's description of John's attitudes while Melody blushed, "Shut up. He wouldn't say that."

Amy added her two bits, "She never said that he'd voice those opinions. He's smart. He knows you'd slap him. But there's no doubt in my mind either that his emotional range, concerning you, is nothing less than what Donna said."

Melody covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. It was, of course, at that moment that John, the Doctor, and Tony walked over to meet them. The Doctor immediately strode over and poked Melody's red cheeks, "Is she dying? Or did she experiment with some makeup that made her look like a strawberry?"

Rose smacked him on the arm, "Shut up, you! We were teasing her. Don't be mean. She can't help it."

"She still looks beautiful," John added as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "I wouldn't want her any other way."

Donna smirked and raised an eyebrow at Melody, her point just proven, while Melody's face flushed even more. John unwrapped his arms from Melody as the Doctor said, "You ladies have fun with your retail therapy. John, Puff, and I have some business to attend to elsewhere."

Tony didn't even hardly react to the nickname, having finally gotten used to the annoying, but accurate description. He simply raised his eyebrows at his sister. Rose grinned quickly and rolled her eyes at him. When John spoke, the siblings turned their heads back to their friends.

"We do?" John asked, glancing at his girlfriend, "Help! I think I'd rather be your personal assistant all day. I'll carry all your bags and not complain a bit!"

Rose pursed her lips, "We're having an all-girls day. Besides you can't peek at Melody's outfit yet. We want to surprise you."

John pouted but reluctantly acquiesced to be surprised on the day of the Yule Ball. He pecked Melody's cheek before turning to the Doctor, "I suppose that makes me your prisoner for the day, then. Lead on, mon capitaine."

The girls heard the Doctor's indignant cry that he was in no way forcing John to spend the day with him, in fact John could spend the day with Puff instead! He then added that anyone could see that the girls were the ones doing the forcing! The girls in question doubled over in laughter before linking arms and heading down to Hogsmeade.

In the middle of their walk, Amy asked the question that had been on Melody's mind for a couple weeks, "Rose, did the Doctor ever ask you to the dance? I mean, we all know that you'd go together regardless, but did he ever do it?"

Rose snorted and rolled her eyes, "Yes he did ask… yesterday in fact. In only the way that the Doctor could. We were just off exploring, because even though we're seventh years, we still keep finding new things about the castle. We had just come back from a nasty encounter with some Doxies hiding up on the third floor. The Doctor immobilized them with a jinx and then turned to me, Doxies floating around us aimlessly, if I'd go to the ball with him," she sighed dramatically, "I love that man to bits."

The other girls all squealed, knowing to appreciate the ways the Doctor approached things, "He's my best friend," Melody grinned, "And so I know how much it means for him to do the polite thing and ask. I'm so happy for you."

Rose hugged her quickly, then glanced at the town ahead. Melody could appreciate the sight. All the buildings were covered in freshly fallen snow and cosy lights flickered in each of them. Melody shivered as the wind took up again momentarily before dying down. Thankfully, the charm she had placed on her hands to keep her gloveless hands warm hadn't yet disappeared. She grimaced, "When we stop at Gladrags, I need to get a new pair of gloves. Mine disappeared towards the start of term."

"What rotten luck! At least they weren't your best pair, right?" Amy asked.

"That's right. I didn't want to bring my best pair here because I knew they could've gotten lost. And now I know that if I had brought them, they would've, and so I'm very grateful of that foresight."

Their mindless chatted continued all the way to Gladrags, where they were quickly welcomed in by a friendly looking older witch. She fussed all over them, brushing snow from there hair and escorting them to the fire, "Take a moment to warm yourselves up, dears. My name is Gladys and I run this establishment. Is there anything you're looking for today?"

"We were hoping to maybe browse through your ball attire? The Yule Ball is only a few weeks away, and we've still got to get some dresses," Rose said.

"And gloves," Melody put in. Her hands were freezing now that the charm had worn off, "Mine have wandered off without me."

The woman smiled and responded, "Gloves are quite near; they're in the winter accessory section just over there," she gestured with her hand to a brightly lit area close to the fireplace, "And our ball attire is going quickly, so if you don't find what you want, my daughter, Gwendolyn, has recently opened a shop just down the way. Gwenda's Gowns. Her dresses are more chiffon, patterned, etc., whereas my designs are more silk and satin. She's just starting off, so she still has many options."

The girls thanked Gladys for her help and hospitality before making there way to the winter accessories. Melody quickly picked out a nice pair of black leather gloves and slid them on to feel their comfort level. She nodded in satisfaction before turning to her friends, "These'll do. Let's get this over with."

She squared her shoulders as Rose led the way up the stores to the more formal attire.


End file.
